Nathaniel BellFriday, Sept. 7
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has curated an evening called Film Treasures From the Library of Congress, to be held at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. Carla Hayden, the 14th Librarian of Congress, will be the honored guest at a program celebrating the entire history of cinema (all 124 years or so of it) with selections from the library's vast archive. Lois Weber's newly restored 1911 drama On the Brink will be featured, as well as fragments from two “lost” Technicolor musicals and Edison Studios' 1910 adaptation of Frankenstein, among others. Even if the show sells out, there will be a stand-by line for hopeful cinephiles. Linwood Dunn Theater, 1313 Vine St., Hollywood; Fri., Sept. 7, 7:30 p.m.; $5. (310) 247-3600, oscars.org.
The Hills Have Eyes; Credit: Arrow Films
Wes Craven's uniquely terrifying 1977 horror-thriller The Hills Have Eyes plays at midnight as part of the Nuart's Cine Insomnia series. This crude, rude, cult favorite pits a middle-class Ohio family against a clan of cannibals living in the deserts of the Southwest. The ensuing terror is enough to make you check your gas tank twice before setting out on a road trip. Shriekfest co-presents this presentation of a recent 4K restoration. Nuart Theatre, 11272 Santa Monica Blvd., West L.A.; Fri., Sept. 7, 11:59 p.m.; $12. (310) 473-8530, landmarktheatres.com.
Saturday, Sept. 8
The world lost musical titan Aretha Franklin last month; the American Cinematheque responds with a tribute screening of The Blues Brothers — probably the best film ever made from a Saturday Night Live sketch. Franklin nearly walks away with the picture as a waitress in a soul-food diner who spontaneously bursts into song (the classic “Think” from her 1968 album Aretha Now). The rest of John Landis' film is good fun, too, with some of the wackiest car chases ever staged. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Sat., Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m.; $12. (323) 466-3456, americancinemathequecalendar.com.
Maigret Sets a Trap; Credit: Kino Lorber
The American Cinematheque is in the midst of a four-night tribute to French film noir, co-presented by Midcentury Productions. The series, curated by Gwen Deglise and Don Malcolm, peaks with Saturday night's double feature of Maigret Sets a Trap (starring the legendary Jean Gabin) and Symphony for a Massacre, Jacques Deray's 1963 heist noir. (The latter recently received a 4K digital restoration by Pathé.) Malcolm will introduce the show. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica; Sat., Sept. 8, 7:30 p.m.; $12. (323) 466-3456, americancinemathequecalendar.com.
Mask; Credit: Universal Pictures
Tuesday, Sept. 11
Cher is the subject of the month at LACMA's Tuesday Matinees series, and this week features one of her finest dramatic performances, as the mother of a teenager with a recessive bone disorder in Mask. Peter Bogdanovich's painfully tender biopic of Rocky Dennis (beautifully played by Eric Stoltz) is a reminder that simplicity is sometimes the most powerful tool in the storyteller's toolkit. LACMA, 5905 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-Wilshire; Tue., Sept. 11, 1 p.m.; $4. (323) 857-6000, lacma.org.
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